Wednesday, August 10, 2022
The Observer | www.theobserver.com
Sports & Recreation
Mackenzie Albert shines in 4 years at Nutley HS, is The Observer’s 2022 Athlete of the Year
Observer 2021-2022 Female Athlete of the Year Mackenzie Albert f of Nutley (second left) receives the award from Observer publisher Lisa Feorenzo. From left are Nutley head girls’ soccer coach Mike DiPiano, Albert, Feorenzo and Bob Albert, Mackenzie’s father.
By Jason Bernstein jason@theobserver.com
If you heard the sound of a foot striking a soccer ball in Owens or Glotzbach Park in Nutley, there’s a good chance you would see Mackenzie Albert. Whether it was day or night, alone or with company, the fields were a place for Albert to not only work on her game, but a way to relieve the stress your typical teenager deals with on a regular basis. “Sports help me zone out from other distractions or anything that is stressful around me,” Albert said.” Once I get on a field or a court, it takes everything away. Most of the time, I would be by myself, but sometimes my dad would come or a couple of my friends. I would be out there for an hour or two. Usually until when the lights went out.”
Based on her stellar fouryear career at Nutley High School, shutting out the lights might have been the most effective and practical way to stop the talented striker. Albert’s sensational play on the soccer field places her among the best players to play for the Maroon Raiders in recent memory and has her heading to Iona to continue her career. In addition, Allen was a three-year starter in basketball and was one of the stars on Nutley inaugural flag football team this spring. This overall package of performance, talent and work ethic makes Albert The Observer’s Female Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 season. She becomes the fourth girl from Nutley to earn the honor and first since Carly Anderson in 2015. “When she was on the field, she gave us everything that
she had,” girls soccer coach Mike DiPiano said. “There are people that have a lot of skill and give you everything that they have. And there are people that are special players and give you everything that they have. When she was on the field she gave us everything that she had and she was a special player.” Thanks to his soccer camps, DiPiano knew about Albert before she came to Nutley High School as a freshman. “We knew we had a special player coming up,” DiPiano said. “When you’re a good club player you don’t know when you’re a freshman player, when you’re playing against high school girls that are 17, 18-year-old girls if you can do it. She scored in the first game that she played and she just went from there.” See ATHLETE, Page 10
9
Nutley in search of new baseball coach as Harbison steps down after 18 years By Jason Bernstein jason@theobserver.com
After more than two decades of coaching multiple sports at Nutley High School, Bob Harbison decided it was time to take a step back. Harbison, a 1984 Nutley graduate, recently announced he stepped down as the Maroon Raiders’ head baseball coach, a position he’s held since 2004. Harbison, who also stepped down as an assistant football coach, will remain the school’s head boys’ basketball coach. “I do think coaching multiple sports starts to take away from the one you’re supposed to be doing,” Harbison said. “Sometimes you get a little worn down and the (transition) from basketball season to baseball, that was tough. There is no wind down. These kids were getting more excited about the season than I was and that’s not a good thing.” This spring, Nutley went 14-11 and made it to the Greater Newark Tournament semifinals as well as the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 quarterfinals. It marked the 15th season out of 18 Harbison’s baseball team finished .500 or above, the majority of them coming in a Super Essex Conference American Division that is one of the most competitive divisions in the state. “It was just fun winning big games,” said Harbison. “And you always had the ability with this group of kids to win big games and beat good baseball teams. Harbison’s first year at the helm proved to be his team’s most accom-
plished as Nutley went 27-5, captured its third Greater Newark Tournament title in four seasons, and also won the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament. Over the course of his tenure, Harbison’s teams made the GNT final five more times (2005, 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2018), but came up short each time. Nutley also made the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 final in 2019, losing a nine-inning heartbreaker to West Morris, 2-1. Despite going 288-195 for a .596 winning percentage at Nutley, the recent setbacks in tournament play left Harbison wondering if it was time for someone else to help the perennial contender take that next step. “I couldn’t seem to get them to the next level. We were always good, we were never bad. I’ve had some teams that were better than others, I guess. I’m thinking that maybe someone else can get them to that (higher) level. “We had the ability. I thought we did. I just wasn’t sure if it was me or something else, but we just couldn’t get to that next step on a consistent basis. We could beat Seton Hall Prep on a given day or Millburn. I don’t think we were ever not in the top five in Essex County since 2000. We were always there in the mix.” As a player, Harbison was a standout in football, baseball and basketball in high school and later played baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson University. At FDU, See NUTLEY, Page 11
